Solutions for Associations, Inc. is routinely involved in both short-term and long-term project work for clients, above and beyond the services outlined elsewhere on this site (survey research, long range planning, etc.) Following is a partial list of representative engagements in which our staff has been involved in the recent past.

SFA was requested to run the on-site registration area for one of our clients on short notice due to a temporary manpower shortage in the association. Our firm successfully assisted the association in preparing for the meeting registration, staffed the Annual Meeting registration area, and prepared an evaluation of the process for the following year.

An association moving into the Chicagoland area needed assistance in organizing its warehousing operation, inventorying its assets, and updating and correcting its electronic inventory system. SFA completed the assignment and today the association has an organized, functioning warehousing and inventory control system.

An association had experienced a steady decline in membership. SFA conducted a needs assessment of the association's members, developed recommendations for membership recruitment and retention, and turned around a membership loss of 1200 to a membership gain of 1400 in one year.

An association had experienced difficulties in managing its membership and certification processing, routinely losing data, not responding to member requests, and not processing applications on a timely basis. SFA cleared the backlog, prepared procedures manuals, developed database software to assist the association in processing applications in a timely fashion, and currently operates both processes for the association.

A client needed help in staffing its ongoing educational programming. The association needed assistance in handling meeting logistics (hotel contracting, BEOs, etc.); marketing the programs (creating marketing materials, identifying appropriate markets, etc.); applying for continuing education; and staffing the registration process. SFA successfully contracted for all meetings in the year 2000, developed new marketing materials as well as a marketing plan, applied for all continuing education for all meetings, and created a registration system which helps the association register participants, confirm registrations, track payments, and provide all related correspondence and continuing education certificates to participants.

A client was experiencing significant problems with its membership database system. It requested SFA to create a system that would allow it to track members, component society membership, organizational positions, etc. SFA developed the system (see Data Management), and it is still being used by the association today.

A client requested SFA to prepare a financial analysis for the development of a new clinical journal. SFA not only prepared the requested analysis, but on short notice incorporated work prepared by another consultant and provided the client with a coherent, cogent financial analysis of alternative methods of undertaking the production of the new journal.

A client requested that SFA prepare an analysis of options for it to handle its customer fulfillment operation. SFA researched relevant companies for the client, prepared a Request for Proposal (RFP) for services to the client, evaluated the responses to those bids, and developed recommendations to the client based on those responses.

A client requested that SFA conduct an organizational review of its entire operation, including staffing patterns, governance structure, financial performance, and product evaluation as compared to member needs, and prepared a comprehensive report to the client outlining our findings and recommendations.